New York State Route 103 (NY 103) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
Schenectady County, New York, in the United States. It runs for just from an intersection with
NY 5S in the hamlet of
Rotterdam Junction
Rotterdam is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 30,523 at the 2020 census.
The town of Rotterdam is in the south-central part of the county. It was founded in 1661 by Dutch settlers, who named it after th ...
to
NY 5 in the town of
Glenville. In between, the route crosses the
Mohawk River at
Erie Canal at
Lock 9. When it was assigned in the early 1930s, it was the only crossing of the Mohawk River between
Pattersonville and downtown
Schenectady. It later became the only bridge between
Amsterdam and Schenectady. Its regional importance declined following the completion of
NY 890 near Schenectady in 1998. In late 2011, NY 103 was closed for three months to repair parts of the road damaged by
Hurricane Irene and
Tropical Storm Lee The name Lee has been used for seven tropical cyclones worldwide. In the Atlantic, it replaced the name '' Lenny''.
In the Atlantic:
* Tropical Storm Lee (2005), a short-lived, minimal tropical storm
* Tropical Storm Lee (2011), a strong tropical ...
.
Route description
NY 103 begins at an intersection with
NY 5S in
Rotterdam Junction
Rotterdam is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 30,523 at the 2020 census.
The town of Rotterdam is in the south-central part of the county. It was founded in 1661 by Dutch settlers, who named it after th ...
, a hamlet in the
town of Rotterdam. The highway heads northward as the two-lane Bridge Street, serving a block of homes as it intersects Alexander Drive and Leonard Road. An intersection with Riverside Drive marks the end of the second block and the start of the third, where NY 103 passes the only bit of commercial activity along the highway. From here, the route leaves the hamlet and begins to rise as it crosses a steel truss bridge over the
Mohawk River, here part of the
Erie Canal. The last third of the span crosses Erie Canal Lock 9. On the north side of the river, the route serves Lock 9 State Park before terminating at an intersection with
NY 5 in a rural part of the town of
Glenville.
The entirety of NY 103 is part of
New York State Bicycle Route 5
Development of New York State Bicycle Route System
In the early 1990's the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) created the state's first full-time bicycle and pedestrian program. Utilizing funding provided by the federal Inter ...
(NY Bike Route 5),
a cross-state
bicycle route
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...
extending from
Niagara Falls to the
Massachusetts state line at
New Lebanon. NY Bike Route 5 continues west from NY 103 on NY 5S and east from NY 103 on NY 5.
History
Designation
The connector over the
Mohawk River between
Rotterdam Junction
Rotterdam is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 30,523 at the 2020 census.
The town of Rotterdam is in the south-central part of the county. It was founded in 1661 by Dutch settlers, who named it after th ...
and
Glenville was designated NY 103 in the early 1930s. At the time, it was one of only two river crossings between
Amsterdam and
Schenectady, a distance of ; the other connected the hamlets of
Pattersonville and Hoffmans to the northwest.
The Pattersonville–Hoffmans crossing was eliminated , leaving NY 103 as the only means over the river between Amsterdam and Schenectady. The
New York State Thruway
{{Infobox road
, state = NY
, type = NYST
, alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway
, maint = NYSTA
, map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
was constructed along the southern bank of the river in the early 1950s; however, NY 103 retained its importance as part of a toll-free alternate route between Amsterdam (via
NY 5) and Schenectady (
NY 5S). The route also served as a bypass of
Scotia, a village west of Schenectady on NY 5.
From the early 1970s up through the late 1990s, traffic at the east end of NY 5S fed directly into
Interstate 890 (I-890); likewise, traffic on I-890 west could only access NY 5S or the Thruway. In order to travel between Thruway exit 26 and the north side of the Mohawk River, travelers would have to use either the NY 5 bridge in downtown Schenectady or NY 103. A connector leading north from Thruway exit 26 to NY 5 west of Scotia was completed in 1998 and designated
NY 890. The new road lessened the importance of NY 103 as it provided a river crossing that both bypassed Scotia and directly connected to the Thruway. However, NY 103 continues to serve as the only access road to Lock 9 of the
Erie Canal and its nearby picnic and fishing area.
Damage after Irene and Lee
The bridge carrying NY 103 over the Mohawk River was significantly damaged in September 2011 by flooding and debris from
Hurricane Irene and
Tropical Storm Lee The name Lee has been used for seven tropical cyclones worldwide. In the Atlantic, it replaced the name '' Lenny''.
In the Atlantic:
* Tropical Storm Lee (2005), a short-lived, minimal tropical storm
* Tropical Storm Lee (2011), a strong tropical ...
. State officials considered the damage to the structure to be "serious", and worries arose over the bridge's structural integrity. Officials from the state of New York considered reopening the bridge on September 7, but decided against it over concerns that approaching rains would cause further damage to the structure. On a related note, the flooding also caused the Mohawk River to carve a new route through the area around Rotterdam Junction. A portion of NY 103 north of the bridge was undermined by the new course, and it collapsed into the river on September 8. Also damaged was Lock 9, which adjoins the NY 103 bridge over the Mohawk River.
For the next three months, the bridge over the Mohawk River and NY 103 remained closed while repairs were made to the long collapsed section of roadway near NY 5. This section also had structural issues due to the flooding. The project cost $3 million, paid for by federal aid received by United States Senators
Charles Schumer and
Kirsten Gillibrand,
and was completed by the
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...
(NYSDOT) on December 22, 2011, two weeks earlier than planned. In all, NY 5 received of soil and of stone to protect the roadway from future floods. NY 103 had its roadway reconstructed, a new sidewalk installed on the western side of the highway, and new signage and guide rails installed in both directions.
NYSDOT plans to repave NY 103 in early 2012.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
{{NYSR external links, type=N, nyroutes=yes, termini=yes, route=103, alps=yes
103 103 may refer to:
*103 (number), the number
*AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD
*103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment
* 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
*103 ( ...
Transportation in Schenectady County, New York